Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Many years ago, more than I care to remember, my mum had 7" (45 rpm) vinyl record of Galveston by Glen Campbell. I loved it and played it on an almost continual loop (remember when you could leave the arm up on a record player and the record would play on repeat?).

I probably drove my parents mad.

Never in my wildest imagination did I ever expect to visit Galveston, Texas.

Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin',

I still see her dark eyes glowin'.

She was 21 when I left Galveston.

Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea waves crashing'

While I watch the cannons flashing.

I clean my gun and dream of Galveston.

I still see her standing by the water,

Standing there lookin' out to sea.

And is she waiting there for me?

On the beach where we used to run.

Galveston, oh Galveston, I am so afraid of dying

Before I dry the tears she's crying.

Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sunAt Galveston, at Galveston.

Galveston, I'll be back in the summertime and will be bringing my bathers.

Houston Zoo is well worth a visit and very competitively priced (certainly far cheaper than London Zoo). They have a successful breeding program and at the time of our visit, there were loads of babies on view. My favourite? Annabelle, the baby Mandrill who was born on 29 November.

Monday, 22 December 2014

Think of Houston, Texas and along with steak, oil and cowboy boots, I think of NASA's Mission Control. The Boy Child still has an interest in space and astronauts and The Brainy One is always attracted to anything remotely technical, so we knew that a visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre was a must.

The space shuttle and 747 are the centre's latest acquisitions

and the first thing you see as you enter the car park.

1,600 acres of land means making use of the free tram service.

The original Mission Control is now a US National Monument

and preserved exactly as it was in NASA's heyday.

Think Apollo 13 and Gene Kranz declaring that "failure is not an option".